NeAgri.com
Title
Northeast Agri Systems - Design and construction of poultry and hog production buildings, Equipment, service and supplies
Description
History Of Northeast Agri Systems
In 1982 Chore-Time cage systems was seeking a distributor for New York and New England. During that same time Robert Kofkoff and Joseph Fortin of Kofkoff Egg Farms were constructing a large egg production facility utilizing Chore-Time equipment. After seeing how advanced Chore-Time was, Joe and Rob accepted a new Chore-Time Distributorship. In May of 1983, David Newman joined Joe and Rob and became General Manager of Northeast Agri Systems. In 1986 Joe, Rob and David constructed a new distribution warehouse and main office in Lititz, Pennsylvania. This remains Northeast's headquarters today. In 1987 Northeast Agri Systems purchased the assets of a Pennsylvania based Chore-Time distributor and began marketing Chore-Time's complete product line in Pennsylvania. In 1993 Chore-Time Equipment asked Northeast Agri Systems to add a location on the Delmarva Peninsula where the broiler industry began. Northeast accepted the challenge and at the same time created a building division to construct pre-fabricated poultry houses. Northeast recently moved into their brand new store-office-warehouse in Laurel, Delaware.
October 2003: Dale Rohrer attends a Penn Township Zoning Board meeting, and seeks permission to build 2 new barns and remodel an existing one, for the purposes of running a pig farm. He documents plans to contract with Country View Farms, a division of Hatfield Quality Meats, to manage the farm.
November 2003: Dale Rohrer hires Northeast Agri Systems to build his 2 barns and remodel an existing barn.
December 2003: Dale Rohrer applies for a building permit, citing $406,000 for construction costs. Later on, in 2006, when explaining why he couldn't afford to fix the problems that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found on his property, he claimed to have spent $2 million on building his farm. This is found in his "Statement of Basis for Appeal" on Line #10 of 18 reasons for his appealing the DEP's findings as to the nature of the problems on the farm with the manure containment and their requirements for repairs/corrections. It's interesting to note that Dale Rohrer is currently (2008) an official on the Penn Township Zoning Board.
April 27, 2004: Bill Rogers, co-owner of AET Consulting of Lititz, PA, hired by Dale Rohrer as a consultant, spoke at a Lititz Borough Council meeting, and said, "Rohrer is actually exceeding requirements." In addition, he stated there would be an "upgraded manure storage facility with a leak detection system."
In a letter from DEP to Dale Rohrer in 2006, DEP advises Dale Rohrer to install the system (the one promised by Bill Rogers and that should have been included in the barn built by Northeast Agri Systems). The letter stated, "We also advise you to install a perimeter leak-detection system." This advice was given because one was never installed at the time of construction.
November 2005: A NPDES CAFO Inspection Report cites "the side of the structure was observed to be concrete block" -- instead of the solid concrete that is required by law. The DEP engineers viewing the facility state that Mr. Rohrer was not able provide any documentation showing that the structures were designed or certified by an engineer.
December 2005: The DEP writes to Dale Rohrer, citing the many deficiencies with his farm's manure containment structures. On December 16, 2005, Dale Rohrer responds, admitting to the problem, stating that "using this assessment, there are a few items that don't completely comply with the standard."
January 2006: Tim Royer, owner of Timber Tech Engineering, and an engineer hired as a consultant by Dale Rohrer and Northeast Agri Systems, misrepresents the status of the Rohrer farm and its structures, submitting a Engineer Certification Report that claims there are no defects, no leakage, and that backfilling (to fix the seepage that had occurred) had been done properly. He further states that no ground water was affected, and stamps/signs drawings that falsely showed the structures having been built to code -- which they were not.
February through April 2006: Dale Rohrer is questioned about the barns and his deficient structures, and states that parts of the barn that are used for manure containment were not used for that purpose, and finally admits that one of the walls was in fact removed at one point. He misrepresents the nature of the replacement wall, first claiming it was solid concrete (as is required by law) and then later admitting it was concrete block. Tim Royer continues to claim, during this time period, that the walls were always "liquid tight", although they were proven not to be by photographic evidence, showing seepage from the walls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EnMIu4SS3o
>>> VIDEO: Watch this video of Northeast Agri Systems President David Newman, attesting on camera (speaking to WGAL reporter Meredith Jorgensen) as to the fact that their work at Rohrer's Lexington Acres was done according to the certified plans and designs (it wasn't), that it was safe (it wasn't and isn't), and that there was no "evidence" of leakage at that time (there was). It's not surprising that he makes this choice of words, rather than stating that there was no leakage. You can see his discomfort at making these statements -- note his darting eyes and the flub at the end of the interview and his clumsy use of the word "constructively," referring to the construction of the barns at Rohrer's farm. Within very little time after this interview aired, his misrepresentations were exposed.
